Saturday 22nd August

to

Sunday 23rd August

King's School Worcester, Dining Hall

Worcestershire Chess Association
Closed Congress 2026

More Details Entrant List
Entry Form

In Memory of Paul Sharratt

King's School Worcester,
Dining Hall

Tournament Details

Date
Saturday 22nd August to Sunday 23rd August
Venue
King's School Worcester, Dining Hall
Entry Fees
Adult: £12
Junior(u18): £6
Format
Five Round Mixed Time Control Swiss, Single Section. Baku Acceleration pairing will be used on account of the high number of entrants.
Time Control
This congress will again use the mixed time control format debuted in last year's congress, designed with the aim of neatly packing five rounds into a two day weekend. Please see the schedule for the specific details.
Controller
Alaric Stephen
Prizes
There will be six WCA Champion trophies to compete for, though their exact details may change as the event approaches. Additional awards may also be added. There are no cash prizes so as to keep entry fees to a minimum.
Refreshments
There will be facilities for making tea and coffee, along with biscuits and other snacks available for all players.
Tie-Breaks
  1. Direct Encounter
  2. Buchholz Cut 1 (Lowest Score Dropped)
  3. Buchholz
  4. Coin Flip
Round Start Time Control
Saturday Round 1 10:30 a.m.

20 Minutes +
10 Second Increment
Round 2 11:45 a.m.

45 Minutes +
30 Second Increment
Round 3 3 p.m.

75 Minutes +
30 Second Increment
Sunday Round 4 10:30 a.m.

75 Minutes +
30 Second Increment
Round 5 3 p.m.

75 Minutes +
30 Second Increment
Prize Giving 19:00 approximately

WCA Champion Titles

Individual Champion

Awarded to the overall winner of the WCA Closed Congress 2026.

Women's Champion

Awarded to the highest scoring female player. However, if the Individual Champion is a woman then this trophy will transition to the Men's Champion and be awarded to the highest scoring male player instead.

Junior Champion

Awarded to the highest scoring player aged under 18 on 22nd August 2026.

Senior Champion

Awarded to the player with the highest score out of those born in the years 1962 to 1976.

Veteran Champion

Awarded to the highest scoring player born in 1961 or earlier.

Minor Champion

Awarded to the highest scoring player with a rating of 1650 or below in the August 2026 ECF standardplay original rating list with five rated games played prior.

Travel

Venue Address

King's School Worcester
Castle Place
Worcestershire
WR1 2NB



OpenStreetMap
Google Maps

Directions

King's School is next door to the town centre, behind the Cathedral. Castle Place is a narrow road nearby (but not through) Edgar Tower, which leads directly into the campus. Signage there will direct you to the Dining Hall.

Please note that if travelling by car there is no parking at the school campus itself.

Parking

City Centre parking is available at King Street, Clare Street, Tallow Hill or the multi-storey St Martin's Gate municipal car parks or the NCP Cathedral story car park. A full list of parking spots can be viewed on the City Council's website.

Rules & Regulations

ECF Membership
ECF membership of Bronze or above is required for all entrants. Visit the ECF website to find out more about memberships.
Withdrawals
If withdrawing during the tournament, please notify a controller or note it on your score sheet. If you withdraw before the first round, your entry fee will be refunded.
Publication & Photography
Names of players, their club affiliation, any title gained and photographs taken throughout play and during prize giving will be published on WCA associated websites and sent to local news media and the ECF.
FIDE Laws of Chess & Disputes
This tournament will follow the FIDE Laws of Chess which all players must abide by. Any dispute will be heard fairly but the Controller's judgement on the manner will be final.
ECF Rated Games
All games will be submitted for ECF Rating, Rapidplay in Round 1 and Standardplay in Rounds 2-5. The games will NOT be FIDE rated.
Mobile Phones
Mobile phones should be switched off during play and placed face down on the table or securely in a bag. A player whose mobile phone sounds during a game will be defaulted.
No Smoking
The whole school site is non-smoking. Smoking and vaping is banned on the campus.
Default Time
After a round begins players will be defaulted if they do not arrive within 30 minutes in Standardplay and 15 minutes in Rapidplay. If possible their opponent will be offered a friendly rated game.
Unrated Players
Unrated Players must supply details of their playing strength with their entry. Unrated players are not eligible for the Minor Champion title.
Final Entries
Entries should be received by 6pm on Friday 21st August. No entries will be accepted on the day. The organisers reserve the right to refuse entries.
Junior (u18) Supervision
All players under the age of 18 must have a responsible adult at the event who has agreed to supervise them and contact details of a parent/guardian must be provided. All players under the age of 14 must have a parent/guardian specifically on site.
Champions
Each WCA Champion should be unique. In the event a player qualifies to win multiple champion titles then they may be asked to choose one with the other title(s) being awarded to the next most qualified player(s). The controller will judge on the day how to best handle this situation.

Entrant List

Seed Name Rating Club
1 Matthew Gillings 2001 Redditch
2 Kevin Hurney 1999 Longbridge
3 Lee Davis 1992 Malvern
4 Henry Spedding 1974 Malvern
5 Ben Attwell 1965 Redditch
6 Joe Rastall 1958 Worcester
7 Ed Higgs 1899 Worcester
8 Muhammed Mehmood 1880 None
9 Keith Baxter 1879 Malvern
10 Ian Clarke 1876 Malvern
11 Joshua Clarke 1867 Malvern
12 David Smith 1833 Redditch
13 Nigel Towers 1823 Redditch
14 Stephen Allen 1791 Worcester
15 James Allsopp 1774 Malvern
16 Scott Oxtoby 1769 Worcester
17 Phillip N Austin 1768 Warndon
18 Robert Sutton 1766 Worcester
19 Rob Bricknell 1737 Redditch
20 Julie Wilson 1737 Stourbridge
21 Alex P Nicholls 1717 Warndon
22 John Varilone 1699 Kidderminster
23 Sri Venkata Subramanya Saikalyan Rentachintala 1664 Worcester
24 Seamus Flynn 1633 Worcester
25 Joe Tipping 1600 Redditch
26 Maciej Bodniak 1549 Worcester
27 Timothy Giles Stanton 1543 Redditch
28 Tom Sherwood 1534 Longbridge
29 Ceylan Ozvatan 1514 Warndon
30 Aiden Griffiths 1511 Worcester
31 Craig Arnold 1510 Worcester
32 Pedro De Sousa Pereira 1455 Warndon
33 Graham Kemp 1452 Pebworth
34 Colin Vernon 1450 Warndon
35 Simon Berry 1447 Worcester
36 Paul Serafini 1444 Worcester
37 Bilal Butt 1424 Worcester
38 Viktor Gorbunov 1421 Warndon
39 Doug Nicholls 1414 Warndon
40 Robert Cotton Snr 1278 Warndon
41 Miguel Marimon 1214 Redditch
42 Tom Evans 1184 Warndon
43 Don James 1136 Warndon
44 Henry Allen 1110 Warndon
45 Ben Mason 1104 Malvern
46 Luke Elsden 1089 Worcester
47 Tyrone Corbett 920 Warndon
48 Robert Cotton Jnr 822 Warndon
49 Ebrahim Najeeb 0 Redditch
50 Roger Thompson 0 None
51 Richard Butcher 0 None
52 Stuart Adams 0 Evesham
53 Mykhailo Tretiak 0 Worcestershire Junior Chess Academy
54 Richard Bennett 0 None
55 Maurice Spaughton 0 Worcestershire Junior Chess Academy

Total Entrants: 58 Last Updated: 21 Aug 2026, 6:30 p.m.

Entries are Now Closed